The power of the Community Land Trust model in solving North Carolina’s housing crisis

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LeVelle Moton (center) turns dirt on site of future Cottages of Idlewild. (Photo by Greg Childress/NC Newsline)

In Raleigh’s Idlewild neighborhood, where formerly enslaved people once secured land as a foothold to freedom, history is repeating itself in a new way. This summer, shovels hit the ground on 18 homes that will remain affordable—not just for the first buyers, but for every family who comes after them. In a state where housing costs are climbing out of reach, this project is more than construction. It is proof that permanent affordability is not only possible in North Carolina—it’s essential.

The Crisis We Face

The numbers tell the story. In Wake County, rents climbed 46 percent in just five years. Across North Carolina, home prices rose 37 percent between 2020 and 2023. The results are predictable: our communities’ essential workers are being priced out of the neighborhoods they serve. Young families delay homeownership altogether. Seniors on fixed incomes watch their neighborhoods change around them with nowhere affordable to go. Service workers, who keep our economy running, are forced into long commutes or unstable housing.

This is more than an economic issue—it’s a threat to the fabric of our communities. When the people who staff our hospitals, teach our children, and respond to emergencies can’t afford to live nearby, everyone feels the strain. Rising costs don’t just displace families; they weaken schools, erode trust in neighborhoods, and hollow out the diversity that makes our cities strong.

A Permanent Solution

Most approaches to affordable housing offer only temporary relief. Community land trusts (CLTs) take a different path. A CLT holds land in trust for the community, permanently removing it from the real estate market. Homes built on that land are sold at affordable prices, with resale restrictions to ensure they remain affordable—not just for one family, but for every family after them.

At the Cottages of Idlewild, families earning modest incomes—roughly $50,000 to $80,000 for a family of four—will have the chance to purchase homes starting at $145,000. That’s less than a third of the county’s current median.

Deep Roots, Proven Results

The CLT model has deep roots in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1969, leaders in Albany, Georgia, created New Communities, the nation’s first CLT, as a safeguard against injustice and displacement. Today, more than 300 CLTs operate across the country, including a dozen in North Carolina.

The evidence is compelling. During the 2008 foreclosure crisis, CLT homeowners were far less likely to lose their homes because CLTs act as long-term partners, stepping in with counseling and support when challenges arise. Studies show that CLT homeowners enjoy greater financial stability, better health outcomes, and stronger civic participation. Many eventually buy market-rate homes, using their CLT purchase as a stepping stone to broader security.

The Path Forward for North Carolina

The North Carolina housing crisis is not abstract. It shows up in the teacher commuting an hour each way because she can’t afford to live near her school. It shows up in the service worker forced to move every year as rents rise. CLTs give us a way forward—one that ensures stability for families and permanence for our communities.

That’s why the model matters beyond Idlewild. If scaled across the state, community land trusts could create a permanent stock of affordable housing that grows over time, shielding working families from market volatility and protecting neighborhoods from displacement. Unlike programs that expire, CLTs build affordability into the DNA of a community. They don’t just slow the crisis: they solve for it.

North Carolina now faces a choice. We can keep chasing temporary answers, or we can invest in solutions that last. The Cottages of Idlewild show what’s possible when permanence is the goal.

Because in the end, housing should never be temporary. Every North Carolinian deserves not just a place to live, but a lasting place to belong.